Arlington officer won’t be charged in shooting of man who ran over cop

The family is planning to file a suit against the city and the officer, he said.

The toddler, who was in the back of the car, was uninjured and released to other family members. The other passengers, a woman and a man, were also not injured.

Bowden was hospitalized with several broken bones. She is recovering from her injuries and works in a part-time capacity, police said.

Roper returned to work within a few days of the incident.

“The grand jury has spoken, and we have no further comment,” Arlington police Lt. Christopher Cook said.

A Tarrant County grand jury has declined to take action against an Arlington police officer who fatally shot a 23-year-old man who ran over an officer during a traffic stop, the district attorney’s office announced Thursday.

“We respect the grand jurors’ decision and appreciate the time they have committed to serve the citizens of this county,” Criminal District Attorney Sharen Wilson said in a written statement.

The district attorney’s office also released dash-cam footage from the shooting.

Cpl. Elise Bowden stopped Crane about 11:40 p.m. in the 1700 block of Spring Lake Drive and called for backup. Crane, who had a felony warrant issued for his arrest out of Dallas County, was in the car with three other people, including a toddler.

Crane is heard on dash-cam footage refusing to step out of the car as police explain the warrants.

In the video, an officer is heard yelling at him to put his hands on the dashboard and turn off the car, as another officer opens the rear door and appears to lean inside.

Crane puts the car in reverse and backs into Bowden as she runs around the back of the vehicle. The footage shows the car hitting a squad car, then driving forward and running over Bowden like a speed bump.

“Oh my God,” Bowden is heard saying. “I’ve been run over twice.”

Police said Crane drove off with one of the backup officers inside the car. Seconds later “shots fired” is heard over the radio.

In the footage, Crane’s vehicle is seen coming to a stop a few hundred feet up the road, and the officers pull Crane from the car and attempt to perform CPR as a woman cries out.

Someone who appears to be an officer is heard on the video saying with an exasperated voice, “I told you to turn the car off, man, … Why didn’t you [expletive] stop, man?”

Crane had warrants out for his arrest from Grand Prairie and a felony Dallas County warrant for violating probation on a previous arrest case.

His family disputes the authorities’ version of events.

Attorney Daryl Washington said though Bowden was courteous during the exchange, he disagrees with the stop and thinks Crane was profiled. He said Crane would never have intentionally hit Bowden.

Washington said forensic analysis of the footage revealed two shots were fired before the vehicle went in reverse.

“It was Officer Craig Roper that came up and escalated the situation,” Washington said. “He grabbed Tavis across the neck put a gun to his head and shot him twice.”

The family is planning to file a suit against the city and the officer, he said.

The toddler, who was in the back of the car, was uninjured and released to other family members. The other passengers, a woman and a man, were also not injured.

Bowden was hospitalized with several broken bones. She is recovering from her injuries and works in a part-time capacity, police said.

Roper returned to work within a few days of the incident.

“The grand jury has spoken, and we have no further comment,” Arlington police Lt. Christopher Cook said.

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